Where does “spendthrift” come from?
spendthrift (English) comes from English spend, from Middle English spenden, from Old English spendan, from Proto-West Germanic spendōn, from Latin expendō, from Latin pendō, from Proto-Italic pendō, from Proto-Indo-European (s)péndeti — to stretch.
spendthrift (English): Improvident, profligate, or wasteful; Extravagant...
Definitions
- Improvident, profligate, or wasteful; Extravagant...
Ancestry of “spendthrift”, step by step
spendthrift traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English spend
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | spend | To pay out; To bestow; to employ; often with "on"... |
| 2 | Middle English | spenden | to spend |
| 3 | Old English | spendan | to spend |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | spendōn | to spend |
| 5 | Latin | expendō | to weigh |
| 6 | Latin | pendō | to weigh, weigh out |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | pendō | hang, put in a hanging position |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)péndeti | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)pend- | to stretch |
via English thrift
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | thrift | The characteristic of using a minimum of... |
| 2 | English | thrive | To grow or increase stature; to grow vigorously... |
| 3 | Middle English | turf | soil, earth |
| 4 | Old English | turf | turf |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | turb | turf, peat |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | turbz | turf, peat |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dorbh- | tuft, grass |